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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — size or range
  4. board — a committee
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. board — to get on
  15. field — farmland
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com